The present invention concerns a fluorescent lamp system which includes circuitry utilizing boost power factor correction.
Ballast circuitry is used to convert an incoming AC voltage signal to a high DC voltage signal. The incoming AC voltage signal typically has an RMS voltage of either 120 volts or 277 volts. The high DC voltage is converted to a high frequency AC voltage which is applied to a series resonant/lamp circuit.
It is a goal in designing such systems to minimize complexity and cost of ballast circuitry while providing for reliability and versatility. One way to produce efficient circuitry is to place control circuitry on a single integrated circuit. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,350 issued to Richard C. Counts. However, integration of all control circuitry on a single integrated circuit can limit the ability to interchange components. Additionally, integration of all circuitry on a single integrated circuit can result in a reduction of power handling capability due to inherent power limitations of an integrated circuit.